Caring For The Senior Horse
Our older horses are loyal horses and many of them are still eager to hit the trails or even compete at a local show. Some have been retired to their pastures to live out their days in equine luxury. If you plan on keeping your senior horse until the very end, then you will want to attend to his special needs as he ages.
A geriatric or senior horse is typically twenty years or older. There are a lot of health differences in these horses that appear as they age and they often require specialized care throughout this part of their lives. This is because, just like humans, parts of their bodies simply begin to wear out. The horse’s teeth, eyes, joints, liver, gut, and kidneys all begin to lose their regular functionality. These are the parts of the older horse that horse owners should pay close attention to.
Older horses may have a hard time breathing and walking if they are becoming arthritic. They may not be able to get around as well, so it is harder to walk back and forth to the barn to get a drink and then go back out to pasture. We can make life a little easier on our horses by providing them an extra water source in the pasture so that they don’t have to do so much traveling. As their gut begins to wear out we need to consider what we can do to make it easier on them absorb the nutrients that they need.
Begin by having your vet check the horse’s liver and kidney function. They may need to do some blood work on the horse to see if anything is malfunctioning. They will also check for diseases in the blood. These horse’s teeth should also be checked at least once a year. If there are any problems, your vet will prescribe new medication and a diet for your horse.
Switching to a senior feed can do a lot for these older horses. The nutrients are designed to be easier to absorb and they contain higher amounts of nutrients because it is easier for the horse’s digestive system to miss out on them as the feed travels through. The best forage for a senior horse is grass. Grass contains seventy percent water and ninety percent dry matter. Most horse owners will rely on hay of the horse’s forage, so you may need to find a higher quality hay for the senior horse. It is also important to be sure that you maintain the same deworming schedule that the horse has been on his whole life to keep the parasites at bay. Making some simple changes such as these will make life much easier on your dear old friend.
Happy Horsing
Jo Thompson
Jo Thompson
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/caring-for-the-senior-horse-123712.html
April 8th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Senior horse care?
My 24 year old Standardbred mare is starting to show her age. Her ribs are showing, her hip bone is sticking out and her vertebrae's showing on her high withers. I have been feeding her Senior pellets daily and wormed her about 2 weeks ago. I'd like her to have some weight on her before the winter because she usually loses a bunch during winter. What should I do?
She had her teeth floated on Sept. 13 last year and the vet said she would probably be good until she dies so I don't think that's the issue here. Also, she has a good waterproof turnout blanket. Thank you for all your answers! Very helpful!
Is beet pulp good for weight gain?
April 9th, 2009 at 2:58 am
Hi! I have a tennesse walker/percheron cross who tends to get a little "angular" durring the winter. His hips poke out, and his withers stand a mile high. He isn't malnourished, but standing next to my paint/percheron sofa-sized roly poly, he just looks poor. I use focus weight bulider or a similar type feed supplement in his feed so that I don't have to increase the amount of feed, but he still gets extra nutrients and fats. It seems to help him to soften the angles, and cover the leaner parts of his frame.
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April 9th, 2009 at 3:00 am
Try giving her some good ol fashion oats!!! With lots of minerals and fat suppelments!!!
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April 9th, 2009 at 3:02 am
Make sure her teeth are in good condition before winter sets in.
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April 9th, 2009 at 3:04 am
Feed her ground flax seed. I feed one cup a day to all my horses. I have a mare who is 22 years old, and people think she in only 10. You start out feeding about 1/4 cup daily for about a week, then gradually increase.
Feeding rolled barley along with the flax seed is also a good choice.
Giving her free choice minerals would also be a good idea. I give mine Moormans Gro-Strong minerals.
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April 9th, 2009 at 3:06 am
Definitely have those teeth checked before winter is here. If they are in bad shape, she will be spilling grain and not getting enough digestible energy to keep her warm. I have found that adding corn oil and a supplement called "Fat Cat" is a great combo for aging horses in the winter. Also, horses lose alot of energy keeping warm so I would advise investing in a good waterproof blanket that has an appropriate thickness for the weather where you are. Remember though, horses are happier cooler than warmer so if you are unsure about how heavy of a blanket to get, air on the lighter side so she doesn't sweat up under it. Someone at your tack shop can help you make this decision based on your climate. You can also up your horses hay. Give her as much as she will eat. This won't make her hot like adding extra grain but will keep some weight on.
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April 9th, 2009 at 3:08 am
Mix in some barley, oats, fatty grain that makes the horse hyper lol :), anything to fatten that mare up. Apples, carrots, and homemade horse treats once in a while can boostr up that mare. If you normally exersize her, do it a bit less- #1. for her age, her bones might ache
and #2. because that just makes her lose wieght. But please, don't get to worked-up about this, all horses get this way with age. Just take it easy with your mare until her time comes- Good Luck,
Heart-belongs-to-my-horse
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I ride, own, and show horse(s)
April 9th, 2009 at 3:10 am
You have had some good answers, especially the one from Sunclassique. I would go with that.
Other things to try are, soaked Sugar beet, it is cheap and horses love it, also I find adding vegetable oil as much as one cup per day helps fat, coat and is a good for keeping them energetic but calm. Be sure to introduce all changes slowly.
My Riding horse is 23 and is showing no sign of age yet, but I do have two other retired horses one is 36 is still plump and healthy on this diet of beet pony nuts and hay, the other has a tendency to be skinny so she has condition cubes instead of pony nuts, she is about 45, so don't give up yous is a mere youngster. Good luck
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